“Yes, sir,” came the Voice-Comms response, from a Thexxian who had known nothing but defeat and retreat for the last ten years in his military career.
The Alliance Eagles meted out to the Bardomil what they had inflicted upon the defenceless Thexxian civilians. Over the Eagle fighter’s Communications Network, Billy listened as the excited pilots claimed their kills, and warned their colleagues of danger. Again and again, he turned to the War Table Real View images and watched the death blooms of the Bardomil fighters burst in the darkness of space. With each explosion Billy felt the adrenaline surge within him along with the feeling of elation and power that only Victory could give.
Within a few short minutes the pathetic remainder of the Bardomil fighters on their left began to break off, and head back to the safety of their own Imperial Fighter Carrier vessels. Billy Caudwell, watching the action unfold was being impressed by the Thexxians’ fighting abilities.
They were skilled, courageous, aggressive and most importantly growing in confidence in their technologically advanced Garmaurian fighter craft. With mounting losses, and no sign of reinforcements appearing from the Imperial Fighter Carriers, the Bardomil were fragmenting and the brave rearguard action was disintegrating under the pitiless pulsar-cannon fire of the rampaging Alliance Eagles. The dog-fighting in front of the burning Separatist ships in the centre was now becoming a very one-sided contest.
The surviving Flying Devils on the Bardomil left flank were already breaking to a full retreat, being harried by avenging Eagles. The larger Flying Devils were just too slow and cumbersome to live with the faster and more agile Alliance Eagles for any great length of time. It was the collapse of that formation that opened the door for the full scale retreat of the Bardomil.
“Flight Control, get your Eagles into that gap on your right flank,” Billy ordered.
“Already doing it, Sir,” the Voice Comms responded.
Instinctively, the Alliance Eagle squadron commanders were funnelling their vessels into the gap between the Bardomil centre and right flank. From that initial break in the Bardomil line, the Alliance Eagles on the right flank were tearing the fleeing Flying Devils into red ruin. Whilst more Alliance Eagles were putting pressure onto the centre of the Bardomil line forcing the right flank and centre of the Bardomil formation further and further apart. But, the Bardomil centre was still managing to hold out stubbornly.
The Bardomil centre was made of sterner stuff than their flanks, Billy Caudwell had to admit. On the View Screen image, Billy Caudwell could see the destruction of these Bardomil forces only too plainly. With their left and right flanks gone, it would be only a matter of time before the pressure from the Alliance Eagles caused their centre to collapse. However, the Bardomil were not entirely finished as a fighting force. The Bardomil Fighter Controllers seeing the collapse of the right wing ordered the centre to hold on as long as possible.
“Sir, we have multiple fighter launches from the Imperial Fighter Carriers,” a Scanner Technician announced.
Looking at the Imperial Fighter Carrier symbols, in their diamond formation, Billy saw a great cluster of smaller symbols darting around the main vessels.
“It might be a counter attack, sir,” the WATO opined.
“What is their Comms traffic saying?” Billy asked the Communications Officers.
“They’re ordering a ‘flying wing’ formation, sir,” a Communications Technician replied from the darkness.
For a moment there was a nervous silence in the War Room. The Bardomil “flying wing” formation worked very simply and effectively. In a shallow “V” formation the Bardomil commanders would mass twice as many fighters into the right wing of the formation. More often than not, the Bardomil would have substantial numerical superiority, which even with inferior Harpoon fighters, meant that their greater numbers would win the battle. In the “flying wing” formation, the heavily reinforced right wing would, on contact, outflank and overwhelm the left wing of the enemy formation by sheer numbers. Meanwhile, the Bardomil left wing held the enemy right wing in check. With one enemy wing overwhelmed, the entire Bardomil formation would then attack and destroy the remnants of the enemy formation.
It was a very simple, effective and deadly tactic.
“Sir,” another Communication Technician piped up, “several squadrons of Bardomil fighters have been ordered to counter attack.”
For a moment, Billy was confused. The Bardomil flanks were caving in, and the centre was under pressure.
“Hold back the fourth attack wave,” Billy ordered, his thoughts starting to clear.
The Bardomil centre rather than retreating from the battle area were being ordered to attack the Alliance fighters. This was a very radical and dangerous departure from traditional military doctrine. The sensible course of action, which was dictated to battlefield commanders, when they were outflanked, was to retreat and re-group. The enemy commander was gambling that if his centre held, then the Alliance fighters would be drawn to attacking the flanks of the Bardomil centre. That would delay the Alliance fighters long enough to allow his surviving fighters from the flanks to escape, and to launch their own counter attack.
Standing at the Tactical View Screens, both Billy Caudwell, and the part of his mind that was Teg Portan had to admit that it was a bold tactical move. Billy Caudwell, however, was determined that it would not succeed.
“Sir, we have movement from the main enemy formation!” a Scanner Officer announced interrupting Billy’s thought patterns.
Turning his attention to the right of the View Screen image, Billy could see five of the smaller warships detach themselves from the protective screen around the Imperial Fighter Carriers.
The Bardomil escort vessels, or M-Cruisers, were fast, agile, heavily armed and very dangerous, and from the View Screen image were moving to join and reinforce the Bardomil centre in their counter attack.
“WATO knock down those M-Cruisers,” Billy said calmly, indicating the small contingent that was approaching the battle area, “and keep the Eagles pursuing those Bardomil flank fighters.”
“Yes, sir,” came the acknowledgement from the gloomy darkness of the War Room.
Now, Billy realised it would be a race against time. The hard-pressed and crumbling Bardomil centre and the M-Cruisers would try to hold the Alliance Eagles at bay until the counter attack could be delivered. Meanwhile, the Bardomil around the Imperial Fighter Carriers were desperately trying to form into their famous “flying wing” formation with which they had terrorised and dominated all they had challenged. But, they needed time and space to create the formation that would allow them to deliver a counter-attack. Billy Caudwell was simply not willing to grant them those two precious commodities.
Meanwhile, the five M-Cruisers that had been detached from the escort screen around the Fighter Carriers, were moving forwards quickly to support the beleaguered Bardomil centre.
“Sir, M-Cruisers opening fire!” a Scanner Technician called out excitedly.
“Who are they shooting at?” the WATO asked before Billy could.
“Our Eagles in the centre, sir,” the Technician answered.
From extreme range the M-Cruisers opened up with their high-powered laser weapons, however, at such a range they proved ineffective against the fast moving Eagles.
“Come on WATO, we need to knock down those M-Cruisers!” Billy snapped.
“Pulsar-cannons opening fire now, sir,” the slightly anxious WATO replied.
An instant later, all ten high-yield pulsar-cannons on the turrets aboard the Aquarius opened fire.
The ten high-yield pulsar-bolts streaked downrange towards their targets, but only eight of the ten pulsar-bolts struck home. Of the five M-Cruisers that were speeding towards the battle area, three sustained direct hits from the Alliance pulsar-bolts. As the first of the pulsar-bolts struck, it appeared as if the hit M-Cruisers had run straight into a brick wall. For one of the M-Cruisers, the pulsar-bolt sheared straight through the weapon pod on
the right wing tearing a great gash down the side of the vessel. Stripping away the entire wing, the pulsar-bolt cast debris and luckless crew members out into the blackness of space. With only one wing, the stricken M-Cruiser became inherently unstable and veered away from the attack course it had been ordered to follow.
The other two damaged M-Cruisers lurched to an immediate halt as the white hot pulsar-bolts slammed into their hulls with huge devastating explosions. But, for these Bardomil crews their ordeal was not yet over.
Moments later, as the second, and, in one case a third pulsar-bolt, struck them, the initial explosion was magnified two and three fold. The M-Cruiser that had been struck three times disappeared in a huge cataclysmic explosion. The two M-Cruisers that that been struck twice lurched once again like wounded animals, casting debris and crewmembers out into certain death. Having sustained two bone-crunching direct hits, and with all of their major systems in disarray, these M-Cruisers would be playing no further role in this day’s combat.
Meanwhile, the two M-Cruisers that had not been hit, continued on their attack course. The high-yield pulsar-cannons aboard Aquarius, having fired, required a full fifteen seconds for the coolant systems to prepare the weapons to fire again. As an energy-discharge weapon, the pulsar-cannon deployed the energy through a solid metal cylindrical barrel. With the discharge of each white-hot pulsar-bolt the barrel became very hot. To prevent the metal of the barrel from distorting or cracking, the gun crews had to undertake a part-liquid and part-gas cooling routine that protected the barrel from damage. Theoretically, it was possible for a high-yield pulsar-cannon to be used in rapid-fire mode. However, the risk of damage to the gun, the turret and the entire Star-Cruiser was just too great to be considered except in the most dire of emergencies.
In those fifteen seconds the Bardomil M-Cruisers could cover a great deal of ground. Billy Caudwell knew that he had to stop these M-Cruisers before they were able to reach the valiantly struggling Bardomil centre. With M-Cruiser support, the surviving Harpoons and Flying Devils would be able to inflict greater casualties on the Alliance Eagles than Billy Caudwell could afford. The pulsar-cannons on Aquarius had stopped three out of the five M-Cruisers, however, the two survivors could still do some damage to the Alliance Eagles. It was at times like this that Billy Caudwell wished that the Garmaurians had developed a dedicated fighter gunship like the Bardomil Flying Devil.
“Come on WATO, three down two to go,” Billy ordered, feeling slightly anxious at the situation.
“Engaging with the Explorers, sir,” the WATO announced, falling back on his contingency plan.
The WATO knew that the next best thing for dealing with M-Cruisers were the three Explorers that were standing off the Bardomil left flank. With a clear line of sight on the M-Cruisers, the Explorers would be able to bring their single high-yield cannons to bear on the Bardomil vessels.
At their current range the high-yield cannons aboard the Explorers would be able to strike the M-Cruisers, however, the fire from the medium-yield cannons would be more of a speculative nature.
Watching the View Screen image from the War Room aboard Aquarius, Billy Caudwell could see the three Explorers turning from their position on the Bardomil left flank and setting course to intercept the M-Cruisers. In a straight race to reach the fighter-on-fighter battle area, the M-Cruisers were at a distinct disadvantage; the Explorers were far closer to the action than the Bardomil. It would take only a few seconds for the Explorers to put themselves between the M-Cruisers and the Bardomil fighters still holding out in the centre. Meanwhile, the surviving Bardomil fighters from their right wing were now in full retreat from the marauding Alliance Eagles. It was a headlong retreat away from the Alliance fighters towards the safety of the Bardomil Fighter Carriers. There was no resistance or valiant rearguard action from the Bardomil right wing survivors, just an ungainly scramble to escape the Alliance fighters.
The centre of the Bardomil position was still desperately holding out against the far superior Alliance Eagles. In the great twisting and turning dogfight more Alliance Eagles were starting to fall. Billy Caudwell knew that he had to extract his fighters from this conflict, rapidly, before their losses became too critical and jeopardised his second stage strategy for this battle.
The Explorers moved smoothly into place, directly in the pathway of the advancing Bardomil M-Cruisers. Forming a ragged line, the three Explorers targeted the advancing Bardomil warships. However, the more experienced Bardomil gunners were quicker with their trigger fingers. All four of the laser weapons from the pair of functioning M-Cruisers were fired almost simultaneously. In a split-second, the dark blue laser streams struck the force shielding of two of the Explorers. The two hit Explorers lurched slightly as the lasers impacted on the force shielding but caused no damage. The third Explorer responded by letting fly with both of her medium-yield cannons in a rapid-fire burst. With the lower yield pulsar-bolt, the need for coolant was significantly reduced allowing the Explorer to send a stream of pulsar-bolts towards both of the Bardomil ships.
At the extreme extent of their range the medium-yield pulsar-bolts that did manage to hit the Bardomil M-Cruisers did very little damage beyond scorching the hull as they streaked forwards into their attack. The high-yield pulsar-bolts, however, were an entirely different story. The two Explorers, having survived the Bardomil laser weapons, now joined their third comrade in unleashing high-yield pulsar-bolts. Just as the M-Cruisers were firing their laser weapons for the second time, the high-yield pulsar-bolts struck them.
This time all three pulsar-bolts scored direct hits. The Bardomil M-Cruiser that was hit by one pulsar-bolt, squarely on the nose, lurched to a halt like a boxer caught by a powerful punch. Its companion, struck by two bolts, threw a great gout of flame and destruction out from the nose area where it was hit, but did not explode entirely.
With the high-yield pulsar-cannons fired, all three Explorers opened up with their twin medium-yield guns. And, having already damaged the hulls of both M-Cruisers, the medium-yield pulsar-bolts began to add to the damage. The attack of the surviving M-Cruisers had been halted.
“Pulsar-cannons ready for firing, sir,” the WATO announced.
“Very well, WATO, finish them off!” Billy ordered.
Aquarius settled the argument once and for all. Having cooled down her high-yield pulsar-cannons, she fired four high-yield pulsar-bolts from two of her turrets. The white-hot pulsar-bolts zipped relentlessly downrange and struck the crippled M-Cruisers. The Bardomil crews had no chance of avoiding the high-yield bolts, and perished in great cataclysmic explosions that tore their vessels to ruin.
“Sir,” an excited Scanner Officer called out, “Bardomil fighters are breaking, they’re running, sir!!”
With the loss of all five of their support vessels, the Bardomil Harpoon and Flying Devil fighters, that were doggedly holding back the Alliance Eagles, finally broke. What had been a heroic rearguard delaying action now became a fighting retreat. The Bardomil right-wing was already in full flight, the surviving fighters being hounded and harried by the victorious Alliance Eagles. In the centre, the brave Bardomil pilots gave ground reluctantly and gradually. Using a clever system of working in pairs, the Bardomil pilots would fire upon an Eagle drawing the Alliance pilots’ attention. Then, whilst one Bardomil pilot engaged in a dogfight with the Alliance Eagle, his companion would retreat a short distance, whilst his comrade did his best to draw the Alliance fighter to the second Bardomil craft. If the first Bardomil succeeded in drawing the Eagle to his comrade, the second Bardomil would then engage the Eagle allowing the first pilot to retreat further. It was a costly tactic for the Bardomil fighters, but had proven to be a less costly alternative to a fleeing rout.
Even as the Bardomil survivors fought, or scampered, for the safety of their Fighter Carriers, the confident and elated Eagle pilots were still able to strafe and rake the fleeing Harpoons and Flying Devils with gunfire. Even the most skilful of Bardomil pilots found that the
ir evasive manoeuvres, jinking and violent weaving could not protect them from the long snaking streams of pulsar-bolts that sought them out and consigned them to oblivion.
“Enemy centre breaking and retreating, sir, permission to pursue?” the WATO asked from the gloomy depths of the War Room.
“Request is denied. Flight Control, let them go, call the Eagles back,” Billy ordered.
The First Admiral of the Universal Alliance Fleet was mindful that he had only a small number of fighters at his disposal. Rather than let them fritter away their advantages in a long drawn out pursuit that could potentially lead them into a trap, Billy called the Eagles back. The experienced senior officers immediately saw the wisdom of his action, but some of the more hot-headed younger crew members began to protest. The senior officers very rapidly stifled their protests. It was an unpardonable breakdown in discipline that Billy determined he would deal with after the battle.
“Ten M-Cruisers approaching the Bardomil centre,” the WATO warned Billy calmly.
On the View Screen two-dimensional image, Billy could already see the next contingent of Bardomil approaching the battle area.
“Any fighters with them?” Billy asked.
“Negative sir, just the M-Cruisers,” the WATO responded, “do we open fire, sir?”
“No, they’re not going to try anything without fighter support,” Billy replied, suddenly feeling very tired, “If they move inform me, I’ll be in my quarters.”
“Yes, sir!” the WATO snapped to attention.
Yes, this is the line in the sand, Billy Caudwell thought to himself as he left the harsh light of the War Table. The Bardomil commander had sent a powerful force from his Fighter Carrier escort forward. With no fighter escort, Teg Portan and Billy Caudwell both understood that, after the devastation of the last contingent of M-Cruisers, the Bardomil commander was not offering further battle. The battle around the Thexxian civilian ships, which had seemed to be such an easy victory less than ten minutes before, was now an unqualified defeat.
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